SEWARD, Neb. – Adysen McCarter and Adrianna Rodencal broke school records and Concordia University, Nebraska Track & Field combined for four automatic national qualifying standards while kicking off the 2025-26 indoor season inside the Walz Fieldhouse. The friendly confines welcomed athletes from 15 institutions for the seventh annual Bulldog Early Bird Meet (Dec. 12-13). The yields also included six event championships for Concordia athletes.
Head Coach Matt Beisel has begun year 10 leading the men’s and women’s track & field programs. The Early Bird provides a framework from which to build upon. The likes of McCarter, Rodencal, Jack Habegger and Jonny ‘The Jet’ Jurchen wasted no time in sewing up spots at the indoor national meet.
“We went into this meet with a whole bunch of people who’ve been training for months and months and months and haven’t had a chance to compete against other people,” Beisel said. “We had lots of freshmen doing indoor track for the first time. There’s always a mixed bag. We had some really bright highlights and a lot of good, solid early season marks. There were a few disappointments, but overall it was really good.”
The racewalk is already shaping up to be a fruitful event for the Bulldogs. The team’s top four finishers on Saturday each turned in personal bests. An All-American last season as a freshman, the Seward native Jurchen chewed up 3,000 meters in 12:30.61 and was hot on the heels of 2025 national champion Owen Nolte (12:28.96) of Benedictine College (Kan.). Habegger followed in fourth place at 13:45.79 while hitting the A standard in his first collegiate meet. Additionally, junior Luke Hammang (14:58.38) and sophomore Sam Olson (15:39.27) eclipsed B standards while putting their names on the national list.
Jurchen is beginning to threaten the school record of 12:15.95 by former racewalk national champion Chris Tegtmeier. Said Jurchen, “I kind of shocked myself. Earlier in the year, I had gone to a racewalk camp and did a 3k in 13 flat. I was pretty exhausted after that. I am really happy I was able to break that wall. My initial goal for a time was 12:45 or 12:50, so I really shattered that goal. I’m just really happy.”
This past spring, the Overton, Neb., native McCarter eclipsed the school record in the outdoor triple jump. She now lays claim to the indoor triple jump program standard after she landed at 39’ 1” (first place in the event) on Saturday. That mark leapt McCarter past the former record of 38’ 2 ¾” by Leah Larson in 2019. McCarter’s day also included a 7.96 60-yard dash and new duties as the leadoff leg for the team’s top 4x400-meter relay group.
Said McCarter of her record-breaking performance, “It was crazy. My first jump was a pretty big one and I scratched it by a little bit. I was kind of coming off a big adrenaline rush from the 60 (meters). To already start there – when my freshman year I literally had to wait until the last meet to qualify – it was a huge relief. I’m so proud of myself and so thankful and blessed that my coaches and teammates have helped me get here, working on the little mechanics in my jumps. It’s been awesome.”
McCarter and 4x4 teammates – Rodencal and sisters Tayden Kirchner and Kayla Kirchner – polished off the meet by clocking in at 3:57.37, good for third place. The time converted to 3:54.26 on the national list for an NAIA B standard. In other relays, the Concordia men’s and women’s 4x8’s ran unopposed. Trevor Kuncl, Justin Sherman, Cooper Schelkopf and Abe Chance teamed up for a time of 8:00.28 while Landri Loos, Izzi Brumbaugh, Claire Beikmann and Rachel Harris combined for a time of 10:06.53.
Winner of four NAIA All-America awards as a junior, Rodencal has lofty aspirations as a senior. She tried her hand this weekend in the pentathlon and delivered a point total (3,208 after conversion) that ranks No. 8 in the NAIA as of Saturday evening. Most notably among the five events, Rodencal clocked in at 8.43 in the 60-meter hurdles, edging out her former school record of 8.44 achieved at the 2025 indoor national meet. Rodencal and Josi Noble placed second and third, respectively, in the pentathlon at the Early Bird Meet. Noble turned in the best shot put mark (37’ 5 ¾”) among the pentathletes. David Unruh (ninth place) emerged as the highest finishing Bulldog in the men’s heptathlon.
From a national perspective, the most significant performance out of the throws group this weekend came from junior Josiah Edwards, who heaved the weight throw a distance of 59’ 2 ¼.” Edwards won the competition and put himself on the NAIA leaderboard with a B standard. The other top Dawgs in the throws were Nathan Baldwin in the men’s shot put (51’ 5 ¾”), Harper Boche in the women’s shot put (41’ 5 ¾”) and Brittni Kinne in the women’s weight throw (51’ 7”).
Another Early Bird field event title was claimed by senior Evan Hill, who cleared 14’ 7 ¼” in the pole vault. The top performance on the women’s side of the pole vault was put forth by senior Kayla Svoboda, who placed fifth (11’ 1 ¾”). A total of 13 Bulldogs competed in the vault.
While McCarter starred on the women’s side of the triple jump, senior Aaron Spivey neared a personal best with his mark of 45’ 4 ¼” (fifth place) in the triple. Elsewhere in the jumps, Miles Sadd placed second in the high jump (6’ 4 ¼”) and Kiki Nyanok flew her way to 18’ 3 ¼” (fifth place) in the long jump.
An additional winner on the track for the Bulldogs was freshman Trenton Kumm, who ran 2:00.50 in the 800 meters and beat out a field of 14 runners. In a historically strong event for Concordia, the team’s top 400-meter runners were Liam Fagan (50.80; fifth place) and Tayden Kirchner (1:00.85; eighth place). In strong competitive races, Rachel Harris placed second in the 1,000 meters (3:18.22), Lucas Corwin placed third in the 600 meters (1:24.26) and Keith Siek placed third in the mile (4:28.92).
Early Bird Event Champions
· Men’s 4x800-meter relay (8:00.28); Trevor Kuncl; Justin Sherman; Cooper Schelkopf; Abe Chance
· Women’s 4x800-meter relay (10:06.53); Landri Loos; Izzi Brumbaugh; Claire Beikmann; Rachel Harris
· Josiah Edwards: weight throw (59’ 2 ¼”)
· Evan Hill: pole vault (14’ 7 ¼”)
· Trenton Kumm: 800 meters (2:00.50)
· Adysen McCarter: triple jump (39’ 1”)
NAIA A/B Standards Achieved
· A – Jack Habegger: 3,000-meter racewalk (13:45.79)
· A – Jonny Jurchen: 3,000-meter racewalk (12:30.61)
· A – Adysen McCarter: triple jump (39’ 1”)
· A – Adriana Rodecal: 60-meter hurdles (8.43)
· B – Women’s 4x400-meter relay (3:54.26-converted); Adysen McCarter; Adrianna Rodencal; Tayden Kirchner; Kayla Kirchner
· B – Josiah Edwards: weight throw (59’ 2 ¼”)
· B – Luke Hammang: 3,000-meter racewalk (14:58.38)
· B – Sam Olson: 3,000-meter racewalk (15:39.27)
The indoor season will resume along with the start of the second semester next month. Upon their return from break, the Bulldogs will compete at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Graduate Classic on Jan. 16-17 and the Scott Nisely Memorial Classic hosted by Doane on Jan. 17. Another three indoor home meets are also coming up after New Year’s.